Abstract: A processing chamber with a showerhead and a chuck is cleaned using an injection of a gaseous cleaning agent through an aperture in the chuck into the processing chamber. Because the aperture is located directly under the showerhead, a portion of the gaseous cleaning agent passes through the face plate of the showerhead so that the inside of the showerhead may be cleaned as well. By applying a radio frequency power supply between the chuck and the showerhead, for example, by a coil located between the chuck and showerhead or applying the power directly to the chuck and the showerhead, the gaseous cleaning agent forms a plasma. Thus, the portion of the gaseous cleaning agent that passes through the face plate and into the showerhead is a plasma. The plasma is pumped out of the chamber through a pumping port so that the plasma continuously flows through the processing chamber.

Abstract: A non-contact type wheel alignment measuring apparatus includes a fixed-focal-length lens and a pair of light sources located on the opposite sides of the lens for projecting a pair of laser beams onto the side surface of a wheel to be measured. The apparatus also includes a CCD sensor on which images reflecting from the wheel are formed and the distance between the two images is detected as a function of pixels of CCD sensor between them. The information of this distance (or the number of pixels) is utilized to determine the distance between the measuring apparatus and a point of interest on the wheel. With two or more such information for different locations on the wheel, its alignment characteristic, such as toe-in and camber angles, can be determined.

Abstract: A distributed network communication system implements a series of token exchange transactions similar to those used when passing browser cookies between an Internet server and a browser client. Rather than instigating a cookie exchange transaction from the Internet server to store information relevant to the server, according to this aspect of the present invention the proxy cookie is stored on the client side at the behest of the web proxy. To the browser client, the proxy cookie appears to be identical to any regular browser cookie; however, whenever the browser client presents a request for information to the proxy which is to be passed on to the Internet server, the proxy strips the proxy cookie from the request and uses it to identify the originator of the request. Based on this, the proxy can customize and personalize the client's information request as appropriate and pass it on to the Internet server.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a dynamic brake that applies restraining frictional force to a wafer in a wafer holder while the wafer holder is substantially at rest, but releases the restraining force as the processing carousel containing several wafer holders rotates about a central axis of the carousel. This dynamic brake preferably comprises a boot that passes through an opening in the wafer holder to rest on the surface of the wafer in an exclusion zone near the wafer's edge. The exclusion zone is typically no more than about 3mm in extent. The frictional force between the boot and wafer is sufficient to prevent unwanted motion of the wafer in the holder. As the wafer holder rotates about a central axis of the processing carousel, centrifugal forces applied to the brake arising from such rotation cause the boot to pivot upward, releasing the frictional force on the wafer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining synchronization and loss of synchronization in a high speed multiplexed data system. The system also includes a plurality of justification control bits and a backwards compatibility flag that allows the system to operate with older systems that have fewer justification control bits.

Abstract: A vector processor provides a data path divided into smaller slices of data, with each slice processed in parallel with the other slices. Furthermore, an execution unit provides smaller arithmetic and functional units chained together to execute more complex microprocessor instructions requiring multiple cycles by sharing single-cycle operations, thereby reducing both costs and size of the microprocessor. One embodiment handles 288-bit data widths using 36-bit data path slices. Another embodiment executes integer multiply and multiply-and-accumulate and floating point add/subtract and multiply operations using single-cycle arithmetic logic units. Other embodiments support 8-bit, 9-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit integer data types and 32-bit floating data types.

Abstract: A system includes a unique word correlator module which correlates a unique word field in a burst of a time division multiple access (TDMA) signal against a predefined marker sequence. Automatic timing control circuitry is coupled to the unique word correlator module. The automatic timing control circuitry derives a number of errors that are allowable during correlation of the unique word field.

Abstract: A printer and components of the printer are described, along with methods of adjusting and using the printer. The printer includes a carriage that supports at least one printhead. The at least one printhead ejects ink onto a print media that is fed though a space between the printhead and a platen as the carriage moves laterally along slider rods supported by a beam. The space between the at least one printhead and platen is adjusted along the length of the printing path by applying a bending force to the underside of the beam that raises or lowers the beam relative to the platen at selected points. The adjustment is effected by one or more adjustment assemblies that abut the lower surface of the beam. In one embodiment, the first adjustment is an acorn nut and the second adjustment a differential screw that is engaged with the acorn nut.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are presented for making the cable connectors of a docking port more easily accessible for coupling and decoupling peripheral devices to the docking port. An advantage of the present invention is that it provides for easier accessibility with a minimum of moving parts and mechanisms by providing for the rotation of part of the docking port to make the port's connectors more easily accessible to a computer user.

Abstract: The invention is an outdoor lighting display using light emitting devices. A flexible light track is secured at the bottom of a channel, e.g. a letter or symbol. A top corresponding to the shape of the channel covers the channel to protect the flexible light track from weather changes. The flexible light track includes a plurality of plastic modules having electrical connectors and respective tracks. Light emitting devices (LEDs) are inserted in the plastic modules. Electrical wires are positioned in the tracks of the plastic modules such that the LEDs are electrically connected in parallel.

Abstract: A process for filling high aspect ratio gaps on substrates uses conventional high density plasma deposition processes, with an efficient sputtering inert gas, such as Ar, replaced or reduced with an He inefficient sputtering inert gas such as He. By reducing the sputtering component, sidewall deposition from the sputtered material is reduced. Consequently, gaps with aspect ratios of 6.0:1 and higher can be filled without the formation of voids and without damaging circuit elements.

Abstract: A socket pin and a socket for electrical testing of a semiconductor package suppress electrical open/short defects due to contact failure and reduce manufacturing costs. The socket pin includes: an upper portion that connects to a lead of the semiconductor package, for exchanging a signal between the semiconductor package and a tester; a body connected to the upper portion, for buffering at two points, a downward force applied by the lead of the semiconductor package to the upper portion; a lower portion connected to the body of the socket pin, the lower portion being elastically durable to the force from the upper portion and the body; and a lower socket pin connected to the lower portion, which acts as a path for transmitting or receiving an electrical signal.

Abstract: A processor system includes an on-chip, split-transaction bus with independent address/control and data buses. Arbitration and bus acquisition protocols are performed on the address/control bus. An arbiter arbitrates I/O requests and regulates concurrent ownership of the split-transaction bus by assigning a virtual channel to each bus request. Data bus access is granted to a virtual channel on a priority basis, s so as to utilize to a maximum extent the available bandwidth of the data bus. In one embodiment, the data bus is preempted by another virtual channel when current virtual channel using the data bus becomes idle due to, for example, latencies in the data stream. Rearbitration, however, is avoided when the interrupted data transfer resumes, owing to state information regarding the data transfer stored in the master and slave modules of each virtual channel.

Abstract: A single stage amplifier system that produces an accurate linear output signal during low power demands and a pulse modulated output signal during high power demands is disclosed. A control circuit provides a linear signal and a pulsed signal to an output stage in response to a select signal provided by an external circuit. The single output stage includes two transistors in a push-pull arrangement that can be driven in their saturation regions when a pulsed signal is provided by the control circuit or driven within their linear region when a linear signal is provided. The single stage amplifier system can be used in either a half bridge amplifier system or an H-bridge amplifier system.

Abstract: A device for quick and precise determination of a scan start point for an image scanner is disclosed. The image scanner includes a photo-processing device and a scanning platform for placing thereon a document to be scanned. The scanning platform is printed with a background region and a color block which are of different colors and located in front of the scan start point of the photo-processing device, and the color block is enclosed with the background region, and has a specified point therein being a predetermined shift to the scan start point along a specific direction. The photo-processing device moves a predetermined distance L0 from the home position to a pre-scan position overlapping with the color block, then moves a calculated distance L1 from the pre-scan position to the specified point, and moves another predetermined distance L2 from the specified point to the scan start point along the specific direction to start scanning.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for selectively warming a printhead in response to a relatively sudden change in one or more operating conditions of a printer. These operating conditions may include, for example, duty cycle, print density, print speed, and the like, which can be empirically detected, calculated, or predicted. Because sudden changes in printing conditions generally do not occur frequently, the printhead will not be warmed at all for much of its operating time. This reduces dramatic fluctuations in drop volume, to prevent thermal banding, while not maintaining the printhead at an undesirably high temperature.

Abstract: A Booth multiplier for multiplying a first number with a second number to produce a product has an array of adder cells arranged in a plurality of rows of adder cells and is provided with input circuitry that reduces the power consumption of the multiplier. This input circuitry includes a plurality of Booth recoding logic cells that provide the control signals to multiplexers in the adder cells in the array. The Booth recoding logic cells receive different subsets of bits of the second number and generate the Booth recoded control signals as a function of the received subset of bits. Each Booth recoding logic cell includes balanced logic circuitry for generating all of the Booth recoded control signals from that Booth recoding logic cell at the same time. The balanced logic circuitry minimizes temporary short-circuit paths in the multiplexers in the adder cells. The input circuitry also includes a split bus that provides the first number to the array.

Abstract: Scattered or/and transmitted light is employed to determine characteristics, including dimensional information, of an object (60) such as part (10) of a flat-panel display. The dimensional information includes the average diameter of openings (62) in the object, the average density of the openings, and the average thickness of a layer (64) of the object. Light-diffraction patterns are produced to determine characteristics, such as abnormalities (146 and 148), of crossing lines (140 and 142) in such an object.

Abstract: A security access method and/or apparatus is disclosed in the present invention. The present invention discloses a security method that verifies both the user's fingerprints and the fingerprint entering sequence to determine whether an access can be authorized. By using both the fingerprints and the entering sequence as the access criteria, a highly secured device can be created using low cost commercial available components.

Abstract: A host adapter integrated circuit that contains data transfer modules has a serial port that uses a single serial port pin to communicate with a slave serial port input-output integrated circuit that interfaces to various resources that are included in a support circuit. The serial port forms a packet from each byte of information to be transferred from a module to the slave device by adding a start bit before the byte, followed by a parity bit at the end of the byte and followed by a stop bit. After transmitting the packet, the serial port waits for an acknowledge packet from the slave serial port input-output integrated circuit, for example for two clock cycles after transmission of the packet. For synchronous operation, a common oscillator drives the clock signal on the slave serial port input-output integrated circuit and host adapter integrated circuit.